White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are a classic. I like my cookies to be soft and chewy - the added crunch for the macadamia nut is perfect and white chocolate chips add an additional sweetness to this delicious cookie! Why hello there. I had this cookie on my blog several, and I mean several, years ago. Well...I updated it. So here is my new and official White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookie recipe!! Their is typically some sort of inspiration or moment that happens in my life … [Read more...]
7 Layer Salad
If you haven't heard of 7 layer salad then I'm glad you're here. This is classic recipe I have grown up with but recently started making again. 7 layer salad is layers of lettuce, vegetables, sweetened mayonnaise, cheese and bacon. It's simple to make, pretty and the perfect salad to bring to a barbecue. I can't believe I just started making this recipe again. I grew up eating 7 layer salad all the time. I think it's a midwest thing or maybe an Iowa thing, but wherever it originated, it's … [Read more...]
Bruschetta Pasta with Buttery Shrimp
I am so in love with this Summer pasta dish - Fresh Bruschetta Pasta with Buttery Shrimp is light yet flavorful and ready in 20 minutes. A fresh bruschetta sauce of tomatoes, basil, olive oil, onions, garlic and cheese is mixed together and tossed with warm pasta and buttery shrimp. This is a wonderful recipe for date night or to feed a crowd! Hello beautiful. Can this dish be any prettier? Maybe because it's a bowl of pasta and any pasta is beautiful to me - my favorite meal!! This is … [Read more...]
Favorite Dinner Salad
Looking for a delicious salad to go with your dinner? This is it! This is my favorite dinner salad - tons of fresh ingredients with a classic vinaigrette that tastes great with all types of meals - pasta, steak, or chicken. I know this recipe comes across perhaps a little too simple but I often get a lot of requests for this salad from friends. I like to serve a "heartier" salad when I have guests over - something that tastes great and is pretty. This is one of my favorite salad … [Read more...]
Dream Cake (my Grandma’s recipe!)
Dream cake is truly dreamy - a yellow cake is topped with a vanilla pudding cream cheese mixture, crushed pineapple, whipped topping and toasted coconut. This cake is the perfect Summer dessert and is definitely a crowd pleaser! Say hello to one of my grandma's recipes. Yes, this recipe is straight from Sibley, Iowa. My grandma is 100 years old - she is amazing. She had the best desserts, most unusual and most homemade tasting. This dream cake screams her type of baking. When my mom … [Read more...]
Carm’s Famous Dessert {Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert}
I hope you're ready to indulge in the easiest and most delicious frozen dessert there is known to man kind - Carm's Famous Dessert. I'm also simply calling it - Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert. I've been wanting to share this dessert with you for the longest time. This dessert is my brother-in-law's famous dessert. He brought it to my in-laws several years ago and we all raved over it. I finally decided to make it myself and I have no idea what took me so long because it's THREE … [Read more...]
Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago)
A delicious almond cake, also known as Tarta de Santiago, that originated from Spain. This cake is moist and flavored with lemon and orange zest. It's also gluten free! Oh oh oh I can't even with this cake. Easily one of my favorite desserts to make. It's not a traditional dessert that I make either. This is a Spanish Almond Cake and I learned how to make it when I visited The Social Table in Chicago with my husband's family. The Social Table is a cooking class where they show you how … [Read more...]
Chopped Salad with Sriracha Ranch
I love a good salad with a ton of healthy ingredients. It's the perfect lunch - this Chopped Salad is just that and it's dressed with Sriracha Ranch! I'm in a salad group with two of my neighbor friends. What is a salad swap group you ask? It's when you make salads for each other once a week - this is nice because twice a week (there are 3 of us) lunch is made for me! My original inspiration for this salad was an Asian inspired salad but as my friend mentioned, she didn't get much Asian … [Read more...]
Homemade Granola Bites
I am so obsessed with these easy Homemade Granola Bites. Just a few ingredients come together to make a healthy afternoon snack for kids and adults! Anyone else snack on all things crunchy, slightly sweet and covered in chocolate? These types of snacks are my thaaang. I often find snacks like this at Costco or Trader Joe's. In fact, I did find a cashew cluster from Costco that I died over - ate the whole bag. Good thing was - it inspired me to make my own snack at home. Getting to … [Read more...]
Mexican Chicken Salad
A twist on chicken salad - Mexican Chicken Salad! Same great idea but different flavors. Sweet corn, red onion, cilantro, avocado, and chicken are stirred together with fresh lime juice and a little mayonnaise to make the most delicious lunch ever! This recipe received quite a few good reviews so I had to share it with you! It was inspired by an avocado chicken salad recipe I came across but didn't didn't fully execute the way I was supposed to. I didn't love the idea of mashing up … [Read more...]
Cheesy Potatoes
When in doubt, make cheesy potatoes!! Cheesy Potatoes are a staple side dish in my family. Frozen cubed potatoes are seasoned then mixed with cheese and baked with cream until bubbly and cheesy. When you're looking for something to bring, let's say for Easter because it's around the corner, Cheesy Potatoes is your dish. My family often makes this for holiday celebrations because it's pretty much unreal. It's also a cinch to make and requires little ingredients. It can be made ahead of … [Read more...]
My favorite lemon garlic pasta with chicken and peas
My very favorite pasta that I make all the time is a lemon garlic pasta. I make it with chicken, shrimp, without protein and sometimes add vegetables like broccoli or peas. This is a family favorite and it's what I serve at our Christmas Eve dinner. It's seriously the BEST. I could go on and on about this one you guys. Pasta is hands down one of my favorite meals. With that said, I do eat pasta in moderation because I would turn into pasta if I ate it as much as I really wanted to. With … [Read more...]